Some new dies

I got a few bargains last week one of them being the on the edge pennant die I used to add texture and dimension to this rather large heart.  Its former life was a box of valentines choccies.  The 'frame' was the box lid with the acetate window cut away Lots of distress paints used various ways and a promise to myself that I would not use a single flower on this piece, that was the hardest bit.  I've used various beadazzles and micro beads on the die cut sprockets and gears and butterflies to bling them up a bit and the stamps are from a Sheena Douglas set.

February tag swap - new ideas

I made this using an idea by Tim Holtz but as I didn't have many of the items he used I made some changes.  The hello was stamped with some individual letter stamps that have never seen light of day, I must have bought them at least 5 years ago, I think from the bargain bucket in hobbycraft.  The telephone die had also never been used, I covered the diecut in glossy accents then added black beadazzles sent to my by a lovely lady.  Tag was coloured with distress paints before inking two different text/letter stamps, one in distress ink the other using Wendy Vecchi's Red Geranium Archival, those archival inks are my go to these days, I've almost forgotten I also have black!  The heart was diecut from grungeboard, I then stamped on part of a large swirl image and using pebeo cerne relief and fantasy paints.

Workshop project at The Studio in Leicester - Something New

On Saturday I went to another Hels Sheridan workshop, this time at Neil Burley's studio.  I traveled up with a friend I met at the online creative chemistry classes by Tim Holtz when we also met Neil originally and were introduced to Hels.  It really is all thanks to Tim that I have a new circle of friends and that my crafting is not limited to a room in my home.

Although I have made a similar canvas with Hels before there were many new and different techniques covered in this workshop. I loved stamping with paints and then over stamping text with archival ink. Although I have seen lots of splattering with paint before I'd never tried it myself, the paint did splatter everywhere but was really effective in adding more texture and dimension to the piece.

It was disappointing to find Ranger have discontinued Beadazzles because this was the first time I had used them and they are really effective scattered between the sprayed/died flowers.

Altered Ikea Mirror two

In the midst of refurbishing chaos I managed to get a little me time this weekend, in fact it probably saved me from the lunatic asylum! Using Graphic 45 French country papers and embellishments. 

Tim Holtz birdcage bigz die, 

some spellbinders dies to cut the flower pieces which were then dipped in utee and the metal leaf also utee dipped.  the blue utee center of the flower does not look this blue in real life.

The butterfly is from Couture Creations Dreamboat collection, Butterfly Notes set. I put a tiny dribble of utee behind the butterfly.

Dream

I decorated this Ikea mirror a few years back and it was looking a bit tired so I scraped off the original decoration and paper blocked it using a set of papers I found in a drawer.  The three flowers were made using Tim Holtz tattered pinecone die then dipped in clear utee, I then coloured the utee and dipped in a couple of the leaves. I'd like to enter this into Hels Sheridan's Sunday stamper challenge this week.

12 tags of 2014 January

Here is my take on Tims January tag.  I thought it would make a lovely retirement card.

I made a few variations as I didn't have all of the supplies.  I used a stencil cut from the bigz wordplay die to ink the numbers down the side of the card.  I used a stamps away mask for the background and to emboss the center of the clock which I used instead of the pocket watch.  The sentiments were printed using old typewriter script and cut out.  The nameplate is cut using the Sizzix alterations label die and embossed with Verdigris distress embossing powder.

New Years Wish

It's the last day of the year and I want to make it count!  Here is a wish for a happy and healthy 2014 for everyone.

Over on Hels Sheridan's blog the Sunday stamper theme is Wish so here is my entry.  I can see so many things in it I wish I'd done differently and a couple of mistakes but I'm learning.  I've used techniques learned in Hels workshops and from watching her melt pot demonstrations .  The butterflies and flowers were stamped onto graphic 45 Secret Garden papers and die cut using some of the Couture Creations dreamboat collections thry were then dipped into melted beeswax.  The seed head is grungepaste embossed through a stamps away mask.  I die cut the letters from corrugated packaging and removed some of the surface paper to reveal some texture.